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Transition School and Early Entrance Program

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The Guggenheim Annex at the University of Washington campus, where the Robinson Center for Young Scholars is located.

The Transition School and Early Entrance Program (TS and EEP) is an early entrance college program at the University of Washington Halbert and Nancy Robinson Center for Young Scholars. The one-year Transition School prepares students to enter the University as fully matriculated undergraduates at ages 14–15. Students leave the K–12 school system to enter Transition School. Students apply during their eigth grade year and begin TS the following autumn. Each year, a small cohort of students (generally 16–20 students) are accepted from a larger applicant pool. While at TS, students take courses in mathematics (precalculus), English, biology, and history.

History

The Early Entrance Program (EEP) was created in 1977 by the late Halbert Robinson, a professor of developmental psychology at the University of Washington. The goal of the EEP from its inception was to enable a small and carefully selected group of academically advanced middle school students to accelerate into post-secondary education at a pace equal to their intellectual development. Nancy Robinson, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington, assumed directorship of the Center following Halbert Robinson’s death in 1981, stewarding the Center until her retirement in 2000. In was originally located at the Guthrie Annex, but relocated to the Guggenheim Annex in 2020.

The Washington Search for Young Scholars was created in 2003 to identify and work with Washington’s most capable students, their families, and schools to develop more opportunities for academically gifted young people.

Academics

Admission Process

The Transition School accepts 15-20 students every year. Applicants are required to submit three teacher recommendations, middle school transcripts, an essay based on a given prompt, and an ACT score. The program receives 75-90 applicants per year, which are narrowed down by a series of one-on-one interviews with each prospective student. The Transition School is not equivalent to Running Start, and students do not receive a high school diploma.

Curriculum

Enrolled students are generally called TSers. The Early Entrance program starts with the one-year Transition School program. Students, typically incoming 9th graders of ages 13-15, are enrolled each year. Following the Transition School, the students become full-time freshmen at the University, and many also enter the University's Honors Program.

In Fall and Winter Quarter, Transition School students attend five classes: English, history, precalculus, biology, and health and wellness/Community; each of these classes meets for around 5 hours a week. This provides a taste of what University classes before the class becomes matriculated. The Transition School curriculum is designed to cover the most important aspects of high school and prepare students for entrance into University. One of the major skills that it focuses on teaching is writing sophisticated arguments and claims. It also emphasizes developing scholarly skills, such as time management, study skills, motivation, and grit.

During Winter Quarter, Transition School students (TSers) take a course called U-Ready to learn about registration and other logistics necessary for their spring quarter University class. During Spring Quarter, the students enroll in an entry-level (roughly 100-300 level) class of their choice. Biology time, as well as history time due to special circumstances in the 2021-2022 academic year, is reduced and utilized to give space for students' UW classes.

Teachers at the Transition School typically hold a doctorate in their respective fields.

Students also take part in "Tutorial" meetings. They meet one-on-one with instructors mainly to focus on their progress in developing study skills, sometimes discussing personal problems that affect it. Furthermore, students participate in a mentorship program, in which they are assigned to a mentor in the Early Entrance Program (EEP) who guides them through their year at TS.

Assessment

Students receive quarterly progress reports which rate their performance in individual classes on a 1-4 scale. It is important to note that the 1-4 scale do not correspond to the UW's 1-4 GPA system.

At the end of the year, students' advancement into EEP is determined by their last progress reports and assessments by teachers and the principal. The director reviews each student's application along with the assessments to determine whether the student advances.

Research

TS students have been studied extensively since 1980 to learn more about gifted students. They have been analyzed through the lens of gender, parental approval, and more. See also: Robinson Center Publications.

Controversies

The TS program has been accused of causing anxiety, depression, and burnout in students. This is due to the program's uniquely intense workload, and sometimes HIB violations by other students and TAs.

In 2019, the UW published an official statement on the investigation into sexual assault accusations towards John Sahr. Sahr reportedly engaged in direct sexual behavior with a 17-year-old Robinson Center student between 2008 and 2010. He also partook in a relationship with an undergraduate years earlier. His tenure was revoked and he was prohibited from visiting the UW campus indefinitely.

In 2019, several TS students reported one TA mimicking masturbation next to a female student’s head while leading a class session.

After Nancy Hertzog resigned in 2020, Lisa T. Scott "revamped the health and wellness curriculum to be more about wellness than physical health" as a solution to the toxic environment at the RC.

Notable Alumni and Achievements

  • Physicist Ernest M. Henley, former TS physics instructor.
  • Elizabeth Angell, former TS student, Rhodes Scholar.
  • Emmett Shear, former TS student, CEO of Twitch.
  • In 2003, the Robinson Center for Young Scholars received the Brotman Award for Instructional Excellence from the University of Washington.
  • There have been 3 Rhodes Scholars and 1 Rhodes Finalist from the Early Entrance Program.

See also

References

  1. "About". UW Robinson Center for Young Scholars. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  2. "Transition School". UW Robinson Center for Young Scholars. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  3. "Curriculum". UW Robinson Center for Young Scholars. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  4. Robinson, Manisha Jha | Photo by Lydia Ely, edited by Hailey. "Six students accuse Robinson Center of misogynistic, toxic environment". The Daily of the University of Washington. Retrieved 2022-05-17. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Daily, Jake Goldstein-Street The. "UW professor terminated after university investigation into sexual misconduct". The Daily of the University of Washington. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  6. Robinson, Manisha Jha | Photo by Lydia Ely, edited by Hailey. "Six students accuse Robinson Center of misogynistic, toxic environment". The Daily of the University of Washington. Retrieved 2022-05-17. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. Daily, Samantha Ahlhorn The. "Supporting UW's youngest students: Revisiting the Robinson Center". The Daily of the University of Washington. Retrieved 2022-05-17.

External links

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